This is an amazing collection of some of the best short stories ever written in the science fiction genre, by an author celebrated as the master of space opera. Featuring an introduction by renowned science fiction critic Johnathan Strahan, this collection includes twenty short stories, novellas, and novelettes, including "Minla's Flowers," "Signal to Noise," "Troika," and seven previously uncollected stories, such as "Trauma Pod," "The Water Thief," and "In Babelsberg." Alastair Reynolds has won the Sidewise Award and has been nominated for the Hugo Awards for his short stories. As one of the most thoughtful and talented short story writers of our time, this collection is a delight for all science fiction readers.